Piston guide for piston-type flushometer

ABSTRACT

A flush valve includes a body having an inlet an outlet and a seat between the inlet and the outlet. The seat defines an opening therethrough. A cover is attached to the body. A piston is engageable with the seat and movable within the body and cover to an extent permitted by a stop formed in the body or cover. The piston includes a guide portion extending through the seat opening and downstream of the seat. The guide portion has ribs and a skirt. The axial length of both the ribs and skirt is greater than the available piston travel so the flow passages through the seat opening at all times are defined by the skirt and ribs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 10/691,990, filed Oct. 23, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,239 andof U.S. application Ser. No. 10/691,991, filed Oct. 23, 2003 now U.S.Pat. No. 6,926,247.

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to guide configuration for piston-typeflush valves. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,881,993 and 4,261,545, among otherpatents, all owned by Sloan Valve Company, show piston-operated flushvalves for use in flushing toilets and urinals. In each of these patentsthe piston has an exterior seal which bears against the inside wall ofthe flush valve cover. The present invention adds a piston having anenlarged skirt which reduces the flow of water through the annular areaof the valve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to piston-operated flush valves for use inconnection primarily with urinals, and more specifically, to animprovement in the form of a piston having a guide configuration thatcontrols delivery of water to a plumbing fixture. In a water closetpresent standards call for a water usage of 1.6 gallons per flush.Because water closets require a big crash of water at the outset of aflush, the flow rate required is on the order of 50 gallons per minute.Urinals are now intended to have a water usage of about 0.5 to 1.0gallons per flush. However, because urinals require neither the highinitial flow rate nor the refill that water closets do, the flow ratefor a urinal flush can be about 5 to 10 gallons per minute and the flowrate profile can be more uniform.

A primary purpose of the invention is a piston-type flush valve for theuse described in which the piston has an improved guide configuration toreduce flow through the valve.

Another purpose of the invention is a flush valve as described having apiston which both reduces the flow and makes the flow rate profile moreuniform.

Another purpose of the invention is a flush valve as described in whichthe piston design produces lower flow which in turn will reduce thecreation of back pressure.

A further purpose of the invention is a flush valve as described inwhich the reduced flow rate allows the use of a larger bypass, whilestill obtaining a lower flow appropriate for a urinal.

Yet another purpose of the invention is to provide a flush valve asdescribed in which the piston design reduces turbulence and preventswater impingement on the relief valve stem, which in turn reduces flushvolume variation.

Still another purpose of the invention is a flush valve as describedincluding a skirt and rib combination that reduces the flow rate acrossthe guide and main seat to reduce the flush volume. The ribs act asguides allowing the skirt diameter to be smaller than would otherwise berequired, which allows larger debris to pass through. This reduces thechances that debris will cause jamming of the piston.

Another purpose of the invention is a flush valve as described in whicha longer skirt on the piston further reduces the window opening therebyreducing the flush volume.

These and other desired benefits of the invention, includingcombinations of features thereof, will become apparent from thefollowing description. It will be understood, however, that a devicecould still appropriate the claimed invention without accomplishing eachand every one of these desired benefits, including those gleaned fromthe following description. The appended claims, not these desiredbenefits, define the subject matter of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a flush valve of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial section showing the connection between theflush valve body, the inner cover and the outer cover.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial section illustrating the relationshipsamong the valve body and its water passage, the main seat assembly, andthe piston, with the actuator assembly and relief valve removed forclarity.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the inner cover.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the inner cover.

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 6—6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail section of the flange and seal of the innercover.

FIG. 8 is a partial section taken along line 8—8 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the main seat assembly.

FIG. 10 is a section taken along line 10—10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged detail section of the sealing portion of the mainseat assembly.

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the main seat assembly.

FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged side elevation view of the main seatassembly showing one of the lockout lugs.

FIG. 14 is a partial enlarged side elevation view of the main seat.

FIG. 15 is a partial enlarged section of the main seat assembly showingan extension on one of the lockout lugs.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the piston of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a side elevation view of the piston.

FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of the piston.

FIG. 19 is a section taken along line 19—19 of FIG. 17.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to improvements in piston-type flushvalves such as those illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,261,545 and5,881,993, both owned by Sloan Valve Company of Franklin Park, Ill. Thedisclosures of both patents are incorporated by reference herein.Additional reference should be made to U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,127, alsoowned by Sloan Valve Company, and illustrating a solenoid-operated flushvalve. The invention will be described in connection with solenoidoperation, but it is also equally adapted for manual handle operation asshown in the '545 and '993 patents. The disclosure of the '127 patent isincorporated by reference herein. When the flush valve shown herein isarranged for manual operation the water passage between the valve seatand the hydraulic actuator will be closed.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1–3, the flush valve includes a body 10 havingan upper interior thread 12 to which is threaded an outer cover 14. Adecorative filler ring 16 may encircle the body 10 and outer cover 14 atthe intersection of these two parts. The body 10 has an inlet 18 whichwill be connected to a suitable source of supply water and an outlet 20which will be connected to either a toilet or a urinal.

Within the outer cover 14 there is an inner cover 22 which at its lowerend has an outwardly extending flange 24. An undercut recess 26 (FIG. 2)is formed on the underside of the flange 24. The flange 24 rests upon aninwardly-directed ledge 28 of the body 10. The ledge has an internalaxial surface 29. A seal 30 is positioned within the recess 26 to forman exterior seal for the flush valve body. The lower end 32 of the outercover 14, after being connected to the body at the threads 12, will bearagainst the top of the flange 24 to lock the inner cover 22 firmly inposition on the flush valve body and within the outer cover 14.

Focusing on FIG. 2, the inner cover 22 has a small radius 34 at thejunction between the flange 24 and the cover which matches an innerradius 36 on the bottom of the end 32 of the outer cover 14 so as toprovide stress relief at the junction between these two elements. Suchradii reduce stress on the flange which might otherwise crack or gougethis portion of the inner cover.

Positioned within the body 10 and the inner cover 22 is a piston 40which is urged toward a filtering main seat assembly 42. The main seatassembly is located between the inlet and outlet on a shoulder 44 of thevalve body 10. The shoulder 44 has a radial top land and a cylindricalinternal sealing wall 45. The piston 40 will be biased toward the mainseat assembly 42 by water within a pressure chamber 46. Water passesinto the chamber 46 from the inlet 18 through a refill orifice 48 in theside wall of the piston 40. The refill orifice is covered by an O-ring50. Details of this structure are shown in the above-referenced U.S.Pat. No. 4,261,545 patent.

The interior of the piston 40 includes a seat 52 upon which rests a seal53 and a relief valve 54. The relief valve is urged to this position bya spring 56 which bottoms, at its lower end, upon the relief valve 54,and at its upper end against a stop 58. The stop 58 is threaded into thetop of the piston 40. The stop 58 has openings 60 through it whichprovide fluid communication between the refill orifice 48 and thepressure chamber 46.

The flush valve body 10 has an annulus 61 which defines an opening 62 inwhich an actuator assembly 64 is mounted. The actuator assembly willeffect movement of the relief valve 54 in a manner described in theabove-referenced patents. The actuator assembly 64 includes a solenoid65 which can move a reciprocable plunger 72. The plunger normally closesa passage 74 which extends through the otherwise closed end of a cup 78.The cup is held in the opening 62 by a sleeve 71 which has a radialextension that engages the closed end of the cup. The sleeve 71 isclamped to the annulus 61 by a nut 73. The cup 78 defines a chamber 70in which resides a reciprocable, fluid-driven piston/rod assembly 66. Aspring 68 biases the piston/rod assembly 66 to the normal, retractedposition shown in FIG. 1.

The sleeve 71 is sealed on its outer surface to the inner surface of theannulus 61 but the sleeve is not sealed on its inner surface to the cup78. This permits water to flow between the sleeve and cup. Accordingly,the passage 74 in the end of the cup is in fluid communication with ahydraulic bypass 76 formed in the flush valve body. The bypass 76receives water flowing from the inlet 18 through the filtering main seatassembly 42 as described hereinafter. Under normal conditions, waterwill leak between the exterior of the cup 78 and the interior of thesleeve 71 and be directly adjacent the passage 74. When the solenoid 65is activated it pulls its plunger 72 away from passage 74. Water whichhas passed around the cup 78 will flow through the passage 74, causingthe piston/rod assembly 66 to move against the force of spring 68 andtilt the relief valve 54. Tilting of the relief valve vents pressurewithin chamber 46 to the outlet 20. Water pressure at the inlet 18acting on the piston 40 is then no longer counterbalanced by pressurewithin chamber 46 so the inlet pressure causes the piston to rise off ofthe main seat assembly 42. This provides an uninterrupted fluid pathbetween the inlet 18 and the outlet 20. As water flows through therefill orifice 48, pressure in chamber 46 is reestablished, whichgradually forces the piston back down on the main seat assembly, therebyreclosing the valve. The operation, as described, is more fullydisclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. patents owned by Sloan ValveCompany.

The inner cover 22 is more specifically shown in FIGS. 4–8. The innercover includes the aforementioned outwardly-extending flange 24, beneathwhich are a plurality of outwardly-extending axial ribs 82 which extendfrom a peripheral wall 84. The ribs 82 engage the axial surface 29 ofthe inwardly-directed ledge 28 to center the cover 22 within the body10. This in turn centers the internal wall of the inner cover with theattendant sealing benefit described below.

As illustrated, the top 86 of the inner cover is domed, providingadditional strength to resist the pressure within chamber 46. At thecenter of the dome 86 there is an outwardly-extending ring 88 which, asshown in FIG. 1, is in contact with the inside of the outer cover 14.There is a controlled clearance between the top of ring 88 and theinside surface of the outer cover to insure the maximum clamp load isdirectly applied to the seal 30 at the inwardly-directed ledge 28. Aspressure increases to a sufficient amount, well above 100 psi, theinside cover will expand to contact the outer cover which will thenlimit further expansion.

The interior surface of the inner cover's top 86 has adownwardly-extending annular projection 90. This projection functions asa stop to limit upward movement of the piston 40. The stop 58 on thepiston 40 will move upwardly during operation, but the piston's upwardmovement will be limited by the projection 90. The stroke of the pistonassists in determining the duration of time during which the flush valvewill provide a fluid connection between the inlet and the outlet. Thering 90 is reinforced by a plurality of radial ribs 92 shownparticularly in FIGS. 5 and 8.

As best seen in FIG. 2 the piston 40 has a seal 94 which is carried bythe piston and which bears against the inside wall 96 of the inner cover22. This seal establishes the pressure chamber 46. The seal will moveagainst the inside wall 96 as the piston moves between the open andclosed positions during flush valve operation.

One of the advantages of the inner cover as described and shown hereinis that it isolates the outer cover from water contact, allowing theouter cover to be made of a less expensive material. Further, the ribs82 improve alignment of the piston and piston seal within the flushvalve body, thereby improving reliability of the valve. An additionaladvantage is that the seal between the valve body 10 and the cover maybe easily renewed by replacing the inner cover.

It is preferred that the inner surface of the inner cover wall 96 have adegree of texture. The surface should not be so smooth that the lip sealof the piston will stick and act erratically, nor can it be so rough asto not provide for a complete seal between the piston and the innercover. It is preferred that the finish on the inner cover have a surfaceroughness in the range of about 8 microinches to about 32 microinches.

FIGS. 3 and 9–15 illustrate in detail the filtering main seat assembly42. The main seat assembly is located between the inlet 18 and theoutlet 20. Its principal functions are to form a semi-dynamic closingseal with the piston 40, to form a static seal with the valve body, toguide the piston during its operation, and to filter inlet water goinginto the bypass 76 for hydraulic assist with the actuator assembly. Themain seat assembly 42 has two primary components, a main seat filter 98and a sealing surface 100. Preferably the sealing surface 100 is moldeddirectly in place on the main seat filter 98. The sealing surface 100 isengageable with a radial surface 102 (FIG. 3) of the piston to form thesemi-dynamic seal between the piston 40 and the main seat assembly 42.The piston also has a skirt 101 which centers the piston in the mainfilter seat.

The main seat filter 98 is made of a material that is relatively rigidcompared to the material of the sealing surface 100. By way of exampleonly, the main seat filter may be made of polypropylene which is 30%glass filled, while the sealing surface may be made of a syntheticelastomer, such as that sold by Advanced Elastomer Systems, under theirtrademark Santoprene®. It will be realized that other suitable materialscould be used.

The main seat filter 98 includes an annular ring portion 103 thatdefines a central opening 105. The main seat filter also has a lower,cylindrical portion 106 that extends downwardly from the ring 103. Anundercut notch 107 (FIGS. 10 and 14) at the bottom of the cylindricalportion 106 receives an O-ring 104 (FIG. 3) which forms a static sealwith the internal sealing wall 45 of the valve body shoulder 44 toeliminate leakage at this point in the valve body. The ring 103 has aplurality of v-notches or grooves 108 at its periphery which aredirectly adjacent the valve body portion 110 (FIG. 3). Together thegrooves 108 and body portion 110 define a plurality of small,filter-like passages whose collective total flow area is larger thanthat of the flow area defined by plunger 72 when activated and passage74. As shown herein, there may be twenty-four such filtering grooves108, although that exact number is not essential to the invention. Thegrooves 108 are positioned such that as the valve cycles, the inrush ofwater will wash away any large debris which may have accumulated in thegrooves 108, further reducing the chances of the filter passagesbecoming blocked.

The main seat filter 98 also contains a plurality of landing pads 114 ona lower surface 116 of the ring 103. The pads function as a positivestop when installing the seat onto the top land of the valve body'sshoulder 44. The pads further cooperate with the portion 110 of thevalve body to define a flow passage about the periphery of the ring 103of the main seat filter 98. This flow passage connects the bypass 76with the inlet supply water so that the flush valve may functioncorrectly when the solenoid is operated.

It can be seen that the bypass 76 is downstream of the filter formed bythe ring 103 and its grooves 108, but the bypass is upstream of the seal104. Thus, inlet water can go through the filter and bypass 76 to get tothe actuator assembly 64, but inlet water cannot get around the mainseat assembly to the outlet 20, except when the valve is intentionallyactivated.

It has been found advantageous to form the hydraulic bypass 76 bycasting it in place in the valve body 10. This avoids the need for asecondary drilling operation during manufacture of the valve body.Furthermore, the bypass 76 should be arranged such that it does notintersect with the sealing wall 45 of the shoulder 44. By spacing thebypass from the shoulder, well outside of any sealing areas, thepotential for damage to the main seat assembly's seal ring 104 duringinstallation is avoided. That is, because the bypass does not open inthe area of the sealing wall 45, it cannot present any sharp edges orburrs that could otherwise have the potential to cut or damage the sealring as the ring is moved past the bypass during installation.

FIGS. 9–15 illustrate further details of the main seat assembly 42. Thering 103 and sealing surface 100 have a geometry specifically tailoredfor this application. The shape of the sealing surface cooperates withthat of the ring to provide the desired performance. Specifically, theupper surface of the ring 103 has an upstanding sill 118 about itsperiphery. The grooves 108 are formed at the outer edge of the sill. Theinner edge of the sill forms a first axial wall 120. The upper surfaceof the ring 103 further includes an upstanding rib 122 which isgenerally trapezoidal in cross section. That is, the top edge of the ribdoes not form a sharp point but rather is shaved off slightly to form aradial top edge. The rib has a second axial wall 124. Together the firstand second axial walls 120, 124 define a channel on top of the ring 103.A majority of the sealing surface 100 is disposed within the channel. Itis important that the sealing surface be bounded by the axial walls sothat deformation of the sealing surface in a radial direction islimited.

The upper face of the sealing surface 100 includes a flat base 126 andan upstanding, arcuate crown 128. The crown is radially inward of thebase. This profile provides a higher initial sealing stress by creatinga line contact with the radial surface 102 on the piston. Thus, a sealwill be created at even the lowest of water pressures. This profile alsomaintains a high spring constant which limits compression of the sealingsurface. As the water pressure increases the crown 128 will deformslightly which increases the sealing area on the piston. But due to theconstraints in the geometry, the sealing area will never exceed adesired limit. Even if the crown were to flatten out completely, thecontact area will be less than in prior seals, thereby maintaining thedesired high seal stress, and the seat will be compressed less thanprior designs, thereby allowing more consistent flushing. Thecompression of the sealing surface is limited by the mechanicalstiffness of the elastomeric material and the area free to expand. Thearea free to expand is governed by the sealing surface's geometry andthat of the ring 103. Specifically, the first and second axial walls120, 124 define the channel in which the base 126 of the seal resides.These walls limit the area of the sealing surface that is free toexpand. Another advantage of the crown 128 and thickness of the base 126is it counteracts the tendency of the sealing surface material to take aset after it has been under compression.

By way of example only and not by way of limitation, an acceptableprofile of the sealing surface 100 has been made with the followingapproximate dimensions. The diameter of the first axial wall 120 isabout 1.43 inches. The height of the axial wall, and thus the thicknessof the base 126, is about 0.045 inches. The diameter of the second axialwall 124 is about 1.06 inches while its height is 0.025 inches. Thecurvature of the crown 128 has a radius of about 0.25 inches.

The base portion 126 of the sealing surface is interrupted by a set ofraised lockout lugs 130. As seen in FIG. 15, the lugs have a heightgreater than that of the crown 128. The height of the lugs, togetherwith the diameter of the base 126 on which they are located, causes thelugs to interfere with the seating of older pistons on the sealingsurface. The older style pistons have a ring that will contact the lugsand prevent the such pistons from closing the valve. Such older stylepistons are not to be used because they allow more water per flush thanpermitted by current codes. However, the lugs 130 will not interferewith the correctly-sized piston 40. The radial surface 102 of piston 40has a diameter that allows it to fit inside of the lugs 130 and inengagement with the crown 128 of the sealing surface. The lugs 130 aremolded into the sealing surface in such a manner that if one attemptedto remove them it would very likely lead to destruction of the criticalsealing surface. The lugs are shaped to create a minimal flowrestriction when the piston is unseated. One of the lugs has anextension 132 that will partially cover the bypass 76. This extensionforces the water to be filtered by the v-notches or grooves 108.

It will be noted that the structure described provides for precisealignment of the piston's dynamic seal 94 with the inside wall 96 of theinner cover. This alignment is ultimately dependent on the axial sealingwall 45 and the axial surface 29 of the ledge 28 being concentric. Thesesurfaces are carefully controlled during manufacture of the body to beconcentric. The lower cylindrical portion 106 of the main seat assembly42 will then fit inside the wall 45 and assure alignment of the opening105. The piston skirt 101 guides the piston in the opening 105 toprecisely locate the seal 94. Similarly, the centering ribs 82 on thecover will fit inside the axial surface of the ledge 28 to preciselylocate the inside wall 96 of the inner cover 22.

FIGS. 16–19 illustrate the piston 40. The guide portion of the piston isbeneath the radial surface 102. The guide portion includes the skirt 101and a plurality of equally-spaced ribs 134. In this case there are fivesuch ribs but their number could be other than five. The outer diameterof the ribs is such that the ribs fit just inside the opening 105 in themain seat assembly 42 in guiding relation. As best seen in FIG. 18, theoutside diameter of the skirt 101 is somewhat less than that of theouter surface of the ribs. Accordingly, the outer surface of the skirtis spaced from the opening 105 to define a plurality of main water flowpassages when the valve is open. These passages can be seen at 136 inFIGS. 1, 18 and 19. By way of example, the outside diameter of the skirtmay be about 0.886 inches while the outside diameter of the ribs definea circle whose diameter is about 0.980 inches. Accordingly, the skirtoccupies approximately 90% of the space available through the opening ofthe valve seat.

The ribs and skirt have an axial length sufficient to assure thatneither will ever be withdrawn from the opening 105 of the main seatassembly. In other words, the distance from the bottom of the opening105 to the bottom of the skirt and ribs is greater than the availabletravel of the piston. While in this embodiment the skirt extends axiallyto the same extent as the ribs, it could be otherwise. What is importantis that the skirt and rib lengths are such that the available pistontravel can withdraw neither the skirt nor the ribs from the opening.This contrasts with the piston in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,993 which has ashorter skirt length so the skirt is withdrawn from the seat opening toprovide a nearly completely open flow path during the initial phase ofthe valve opening cycle. While this is desirable when the flush valve isused on a water closet, it is not necessary in a flush valve used on aurinal. In the present invention, the flow path is constant and neverlarger than that presented by the relatively narrow collective passages136. This regulates the flow rate to be uniform throughout the flushcycle. The relatively longer skirt also has the benefit of reducingturbulence during flow through the valve. This in turn preventsimpingement of water on the relief valve stem, which assures that itwill reseat properly and allow timely reestablishment of the pressure inchamber 46.

While the preferred form of the invention has been shown and describedherein, it should be realized that there may be many modifications,substitutions and alterations thereto. For example, if a conventional,manually-operated handle were installed instead of the solenoid-operatedactuator 64, the bypass 76 may be plugged. Also, while the invention hasbeen described in connection with use with low consumption urinalflushometers, depending on the volume of water required, it could beused on a water closet.

1. A flush valve including a body having an inlet and an outlet, a valveseat in the body between the inlet and outlet, the valve seat definingan opening, a cover attached to the body, a piston movable within thebody and cover, the piston, body and cover defining a pressure chamber,an exterior seal carried by the piston and bearing against an insidewall of the cover during movement of the piston, a refill orifice in thepiston connecting the pressure chamber with the inlet, pressure in thepressure chamber maintaining the piston closed upon the main seatassembly, a relief valve in the piston for venting the pressure chamberto the outlet, and an actuator mounted in the body and selectablyengageable with the relief valve to vent the pressure chamber causingthe piston to move away from the valve seat and open flow from the inletto the outlet, one of the cover and body having a stop engageable withthe piston for limiting upward movement of the piston to a predeterminedpiston travel, the piston having a guide portion which extendsdownstream through the valve seat opening, the guide portion having aplurality of outwardly extending axial ribs, the outer surface of whichare radially in alignment with the opening in the valve seat, the pistonarea between the ribs being closed by a skirt, the axial extent of boththe ribs and the skirt being greater than said predetermined pistontravel.
 2. The flush valve of claim 1 wherein the ribs and skirt havethe same axial extent.
 3. The flush valve of claim 1 wherein the ribsare spaced equally around the guide portion.
 4. The flush valve of claim1 wherein there are five ribs.
 5. The flush valve of claim 1 wherein theskirt has an outside diameter that is about 90% of that of the ribs. 6.The flush valve of claim 1 wherein the stop is formed by a projection onan inside surface of the cover, the projection being engageable with thepiston to limit upward movement of the piston.
 7. The flush valve ofclaim 6 wherein the cover includes an inner cover which includes a top,the top including a ring extending from the top toward the outer cover.8. The flush valve of claim 7 wherein the inside surface of the innercover further comprises a plurality of reinforcing ribs.